We are serving a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Maryland, Baltimore area.

Monday, January 6, 2014

January 6, 2014

The holidays plus the cold weather have kept us from doing as much as we normally would, but when we can't go out, we use the time at home to read, plan, practice and also rest.

On Sunday, December 29th, Elder Lewis and I actually performed a duet in sacrament meeting - a first for us. We sang "The Wintry Day Descending to Its Close." We probably never would have done that in our home ward, but here we are more brave; and they very seldom have special musical numbers during the meetings here, so we simply volunteered when we saw the need.

One of the many "learning experiences" we had this past week was when a gentleman, a less active member of the Church, was unexpectedly rude to us. We just wanted to say hello and visit for a minute, but he made it very clear he was not interested in talking to us. Oh well.

However, all the positive experiences completely out weigh the negative ones. We have seen so many good and kind people and we feel very fortunate to meet them. We started to knock on the door of a less active couple a few days ago (For those of you who are not acquainted with the Mormon Church, "less active" means they are members but no longer attend church meetings), but before we could even knock, the door opened and a lady said "Come on in." When I replied, "Don't you want to know who we are?" she quickly responded, "I saw your name tags and that is enough for me." We then sat in her living room and talked to her for a long time. She told us her husband was a paraplegic and that she also had many serious health problems. Her mother had died just before Christmas and she was missing her very much. We listened and emphasized with her and could feel her sweet spirit. We will be going back soon to help her sort through some things she needs to get rid of.

On the way home from church yesterday we stopped to visit a family who had not been at church for a couple of weeks. Elder Lewis had collected some information about the BYUI Pathway education program for him and wanted to drop it off at his home. We visited for a few minutes and talked with him. He was very down and discouraged and we tried to encourage him a little. He is such a wonderful father and example to his four children and a good and strong member of the church. I was very upset when we left because of the condition of their apartment. There was only one armchair to sit on but not a couch or anything else in the living room. It was very dirty and messy. I wanted to do something but I'm still not sure what other than let our branch president and the Relief Society know. The sad thing is we see this kind of situation again and again.

~~~

Below are a few pictures from the last couple of weeks:

It was very cold and windy that day, but we still

went for a walk and visited a family near by.

These beautiful sister missionaries are in our district. The sister on the far right has been here in the mission for only one transfer (six weeks) and is now a trainer. The second from the right has now been transferred. We will miss her. The two next to me are still with us. We love them all and they are so amazing and strong.

Fun with our friend Diane at the temple grounds and visitor center. She was beyond happy and excited.

Beautiful sky over the temple at sunset. Moroni must be cold up there.

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About Me

For many years we have thought and dreamed about going on a mission together when we retired. After a lot of soul searching, prayers and preparation we are finally going.
In the process we have learned that we don't have to be rich and famous and we don't have to be perfect to be able to serve. The Lord only wants "the heart and a willing mind".
We are excited to be serving in the Baltimore, Maryland Mission and look forward to many wonderful experiences.